Showcasing Responsible AI in Action: Real-World Impact Across Health, Education, Agriculture, and Human Rights

Showcasing Responsible AI in Action: Real-World Impact Across Health, Education, Agriculture, and Human Rights

Published on November 11, 2024

As AI technology rapidly advances, its potential to positively impact lives and communities is more evident than ever. In a new publication by Caribou Digital, funded by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and UK International Development, responsible AI projects are showcased as part of a broader look at ethical and impactful AI practices in development.

This report highlights three exemplary AI4D projects in healthcare, education, and public health that illustrate how responsible AI can address critical needs while emphasizing inclusivity, ethical practices, and human-centered approaches.

AI Transforming Maternal Healthcare: PROMPTS in Kenya

In Kenya, access to timely and accurate healthcare information is vital, particularly for expectant mothers. PROMPTS, an AI-driven SMS platform by Jacaranda Health, leverages AI to provide essential maternal health information, reaching millions of mothers across the country. By identifying and triaging high-risk messages with AI, PROMPTS directs urgent cases to human healthcare agents who can respond quickly and efficiently. This hybrid approach has reached over three million mothers, increasing prenatal care visits and improving health outcomes. Jacaranda leverages the efficiency of AI while keeping human professionals in the loop to ensure safe and accurate healthcare information is shared with mothers in a timely manner.

PROMPTS exemplifies how responsible AI can expand access to critical health information, supporting healthcare workers while prioritizing patient needs.

Fostering Literacy and Preserving Culture with AI: RobotsMali in Mali

Education is a key driver of economic empowerment, yet language barriers can limit educational opportunities. RobotsMali is tackling this challenge by using AI to create educational materials in Bambara, a local language in Mali,bridging linguistic divides and preserving cultural heritage. By generating school books and content in Bambara, RobotsMali empowers students and fosters literacy, ensuring that educational resources are accessible and culturally relevant. Before producing these Bambara language readers, RobotsMali was funded by the Lacuna Fund to develop a French-Bambara language translation dataset. This dataset served as an essential foundation to the development of the Bambara books as it allowed for fast AI-enabled translation of French-language books that local educators were then able to quickly adapt to suit their cultural contexts.

RobotsMali illustrates AI’s role in enhancing educational inclusion and preserving linguistic diversity, showing how responsible AI can foster positive social impact.

Strengthening Public Health with Predictive AI: ACADIC’s Disease Tracking

During the COVID-19 pandemic, data-driven insights became crucial for managing the virus’s spread. The Africa-Canada AI & Data Innovation Consortium (ACADIC) employed predictive AI to track disease spread and provide insights for public health interventions across Africa. This project highlighted AI’s ability to improve response times and strengthen health systems in under-resourced regions, underscoring responsible data use and ethical standards in AI-driven health initiatives.

ACADIC’s use of AI to support public health resilience demonstrates how AI can be ethically deployed to meet urgent community needs and enhance health outcomes.

These three projects—PROMPTS, RobotsMali, and ACADIC—are just a few of the many examples highlighted in the Caribou Digital publication that demonstrate real-life, responsible AI use. Each project showcases the transformative potential of AI when aligned with ethical frameworks and community-centered approaches.

For a deeper look into these initiatives and other impactful projects, explore the full report here.